Akari
by Cherri Snow
Summary: When Kuroko finds out that he is pregnant with Kise's child, he runs away, afraid of how Kise would react. Assisted by Akashi, he disappears. Six years later, Kuroko is finally moving on with his daughter and has settled into his life... And then Kise finds him. KiKuro. Oneshot at the moment, may continue later. Revised.


**Akari**

**Note: In this story, Kuroko is a hermaphrodite (has both female and male sex organs) so there is mpreg (male pregnancy). If that isn't your cup of tea, please turn back now. Also, Akari is an original character. Her name means 'light'.**

* * *

There wasn't a day that Kuroko went through without thinking about his ex-boyfriend, Kise Ryouta. Everything reminded him of the blond model (and now pilot), whether it be a magazine, a ball (it doesn't even have to be a basketball), or even the sun.

And the biggest reminder stood before him every day: his five year old daughter. _Their _five year old daughter.

Nearly six years ago Kuroko found out that he was pregnant with Kise's child. Before then, he didn't even know that he _could _get pregnant, but it turned out that he had the female organs that allowed it. Terrified of what Kise would think if he found out, Kuroko could only come up with two options: to have an abortion and never tell him, or to run away. He knew right away that he would never be able to kill the baby inside of him, so he fled to Akashi for help.

Akashi answered the door, took a single glance at Kuroko's slightly bloated belly (it was so barely noticeable that only someone with eyes as sharp as Akashi's would be able to notice), and raised his eyebrows in surprise, heterochromatic eyes widening. Kuroko knew that Akashi had figured it out and burst into tears. He had been holding back the entire way there and he couldn't stop now that he had started.

Akashi gently ushered the sobbing man inside and left him sitting at the low table in the living room to retrieve a box of tissues and a trash bin. After giving Kuroko the tissues, he waited patiently as the blue-haired man cried through half of the box.

"Akashi-kun, I can't get rid of it. I can't kill Kise-kun's child," Kuroko managed to say through wracking sobs. "But I can't face him either. I can't bear to see his expression if I told him. He would be so disgusted..."

"So you wish to run away with the child with my assistance," Akashi concluded bluntly.

Kuroko shakily nodded. He clutched a tissue to his tear-stricken face.

Akashi considered it for a moment, then said, "Alright, I will help you. Leave everything to me."

True to his word, the ex-captain handled everything. Akashi told Kise that Kuroko wanted to break up and didn't want to see him. Kise, as expected, refused to accept it and attempted to search for him. Kise tried to ask Akashi in person where Kuroko was several times, but Akashi simply insisted (threateningly) that it was time for him to give up, then slammed the door in his face. To eliminate the risk of being found, Kuroko stayed at Akashi's house where Kise wouldn't dare to enter without permission.

Akashi did everything for Kuroko, making sure that he wouldn't strain himself and harm the baby (who he seemed to care greatly for, much to Kuroko's surprise). Akashi scheduled and paid for all of Kuroko's checkups, hiring the best doctor on the case in Japan. When the baby was born, he helped to decide the name Akari and assisted Kuroko in raising her.

After Akari's first birthday, Kuroko decided that he would return to being a kindergarten teacher and stop depending on Akashi. Akashi's only condition for allowing Kuroko to move out was that he would come back at least once a month so he could check on them.

Four years had passed since then and Kuroko had fully settled into his life as a kindergarten teacher and Akari's parent. Kise had long given up on his search for his boyfriend who had disappeared without a trace. The last Kuroko had heard about him was that he now piloted international flights instead of just domestic flights (which made sense, since the reason for Kise's domestic flights was because he couldn't stand to be away from Kuroko for longer than a day or two). As promised, Kuroko still visited Akashi with Akari at least once a month. The frequent visits led to Akari treating Akashi like a second parent.

Akari looked just like Kise in every way but her eye color, which was a crystal blue like Kuroko's. She had also inherited Kise's bouncy personality and was able to make friends quickly upon entering kindergarten thanks to it.

It was painful for Kuroko to see Kise in his daughter every day, but he didn't regret keeping her. Akari was the single most important thing to him now and he loved her with all of his heart and being. He had decided that it was okay if he didn't have Kise as long as he had Akari. As long as he had Akari, he would be able to keep living despite the gaping hole in his heart.

So when Akari had vanished upon Kuroko taking the kindergarteners to the park, he felt his heart stop.

* * *

It was a beautiful day out and Kise would be stuck in the city until his next flight tomorrow night so he decided to explore the city. As he ventured further from the loud downtown area and entered a suburban neighborhood, it grew quieter and the scenery greener.

Kise looked up as he walked. The sky was a pure light blue and fluffy clouds slowly floated along. Birds gossiped in the trees and a cool, pleasant breeze ruffled his hair just slightly. He stretched his arms, extending them upwards.

_Thud._

Kise looked down to see that a little girl had bumped into him and fell on her bottom. Her eyes watered and her lips trembled dangerously, filling Kise with horror.

"I'm so sorry! Please don't cry!" Kise begged, kneeling down on one knee and holding his hands up helplessly.

"Akari isn't going to cry." The girl rubbed the tears out of her eyes and stood. "Papa and Sei-chan don't like it when Akari cries, so Akari won't."

Kise sighed in relief, then looked around. "And where is 'Papa' or 'Sei-chan'?"

"...Akari doesn't know..." Akari looked down and clutched her dress.

"Are you lost?" Kise looked at her with sympathy.

"Mmm... Akari heard that if you find a four-leaf clover then you can become happy, so Akari tried to look for one for Papa. Akari found one, but then Akari got lost..." Akari held up the four-leaf clover in her dirt-caked hands to show Kise. _She must have been searching for a long time... There's no telling how far she wandered._

"I see... Why don't I help you find your papa? He can't be that far, right?" Kise stood and held out his hand.

"…Papa and Sei-chan said that Akari isn't allowed to go with strangers..." Akari stared at his hand warily.

"In that case, my name is Kise Ryouta," Kise introduced himself. "Now we aren't strangers, right?"

"Hmm... I guess so..." Akari brought a finger to her chin, considering it. "Can Akari call you Ryou-chan?"

"Sure!" Kise smiled brightly.

Akari's eyes brightened and a matching grin stretched across her face. She slipped her tiny hand into Kise's much larger hand.

"Which way did you come from?" Kise looked down both sides of the fork in the street.

"Umm... That way? No... That way? Umm..." Akari looked back and forth, confusion etched on her face. "Akari doesn't know..."

"Hmm... Then why don't we try right?" Kise suggested.

"Because right is always right!" Akari chimed in unison with him and giggled.

Kise led the way down the empty street, humming a children's song with Akari.

"Hey, Akari-chan, why do you need a four-leaf clover for your Papa? Is he sad?" Kise asked, curiosity finally getting to the best of him.

"Mmm... Papa says he's happy, but Akari thinks he's lying." Akari frowned.

"Why do you think he's lying?"

Akari stopped and looked up at Kise. Her blue eyes stared intensely at him and Kise shivered as a wave of nostalgia hit him. _Her eye color is so similar to Kurokocchi's..._

"Ryou-chan has to promise to keep it a secret, okay?" Akari whispered.

"Okay. I promise." Kise looped his pinky around Akari's.

"Akari overheard Papa and Sei-chan talking before. Papa was crying and saying that he missed someone a whole bunch." She stared at her feet. "So Akari wants to find the four-leaf clover so Papa can find the person he misses and be happy!"

"I see. Akari is such a nice, good girl!" Kise ruffled her hair lightly. "By the way, who is this 'Sei-chan' you keep mentioning?"

"Sei-chan is Papa's friend from middle school! He's really really smart, but reaaaaally scary when he's mad." Akari shivered, apparently remembering how scary 'Sei-chan' was.

"I know someone like that..." Kise mumbled. Memories of being under the terrifying reign of Akashi in middle school rushed back.

"But Akari loves Sei-chan a lot! He's actually very nice!" Akari beamed.

"And how about your papa? What's he like?" Kise asked.

"Papa is really really nice! I love him a whooooole lot!" Akari stretched out her arms. "Papa is Akari's kindergarten teacher too!"

"And your mama?" Kise chuckled at Akari's adorableness.

"Akari doesn't have a mama," Akari said nonchalantly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

_So the person her father misses must be her mother… How sad for her not to have a mother, especially at this age...  
_

"Akari! Where are you, Akari?!" a male voice shouted in the distance, growing closer.

"Ah! That's Papa's voice!" Akari let go of Kise's hand and started running in the direction of the voice. She shouted back, "Papa! Akari is here!"

Meanwhile, Kise stood frozen in place. That voice was far beyond familiar. It matched the very voice he had been searching for for six years._ Is it possible? Is Akari-chan's 'Papa' _him_?_

"Akari!" A man rounded around the corner. Akari leapt into his arms. "Why did you wander off? Do you know how worried I was?"

Kise took one slow, shaky step after another, moving like a newly born fawn. There was no mistaking it. Despite it being six years, he looked just as he did the last he saw him.

"Kurokocchi? Is that really you?" Kise called weakly.

He saw the man completely freeze, as if time had stopped for him.

"Are you... Akari-chan's father?" Kise asked. His heavy heart pounded painfully. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together. If Kuroko was the father, there had to be a mother. Kuroko had found someone else after him and she was who he was crying for now.

Kuroko stood, lifting Akari with him and balancing her on his hip with practiced ease. "I am."

"Papa? Do you know Ryou-chan?" Akari looked back and forth between them.

"...Yes, Akari. He was a friend from middle school," Kuroko replied. His expression and voice had completely steeled. Kise winced both at the tone and the use of past tense. "Thank you for finding and delivering Akari to me. I have to return so I'll be taking my leave now." Kuroko bowed politely and turned to walk away.

"W-wait, Kurokocchi! There's so much I want to ask you!" Kise chased after him.

Kuroko turned his head over his shoulder and Kise had no option but to stop in his tracks. Kuroko's expression was so pained, so desperately hurt, that Kise was sure that he would shatter if he followed him now.

Kise could do nothing but watch as Kuroko walked away.

* * *

Kuroko didn't sleep that night. When morning came, he considered calling in sick for the day. He was in no mood to be around the children, or around _anyone_.

But he still went.

And he quickly regretted it. There at the front gate of the kindergarten stood the very object of his fears.

"Ryou-chan!" Akari ran ahead and hugged him.

"Good morning, Akari-chan!" Kise patted her head fondly.

"What are you doing here?" Kuroko asked in an accusing tone, defensive poker face returning.

"You know exactly why I'm here. You also know that I won't leave until you explain to me _what _happened six years ago," Kise replied. His eyes were locked on Kuroko, unwavering and firm. Kuroko felt a chill run down his spine at the unnerving gaze.

"...I understand," Kuroko said. "Let me tell the other teachers so they can cover for me."

Kise nodded in agreement. Kuroko took Akari inside, told the teacher of the neighboring classroom that he would be back by lunchtime, then returned outside.

"Let's go to the park. No one will disturb us at this time." Kuroko led the way. Kise silently followed.

* * *

"How did you know where to find me?" Kuroko asked, sitting on the park bench.

"Akari-chan mentioned that her papa is also her kindergarten teacher. There aren't that many kindergartens around here," Kise explained. He sat beside Kuroko, who nodded in understanding, as if he expected that answer.

Silence enveloped them once again. Kise was absorbed in thought, considering which question of the countless spinning in his head to ask first. Finally, he turned to face Kuroko and asked, "How old is Akari-chan?"

Kuroko blinked, clearly surprised at the question, then replied, "She just turned five last month."

Kise's heart sank. It was basic math to calculate when Kuroko's wife would have become pregnant with Akari. Assuming she wasn't a premature baby, it would have been very close to when Kuroko disappeared.

Kise knew more than anyone that Kuroko wasn't the type to open up to just anyone. It took forever to gain his trust and twice as long for his feelings to become mutual. That could only mean one thing: he must have been cheating on him. The thought was enough to make it difficult to breathe. Of course, in the long time that he tormented himself over thinking about why Kuroko had left him he had considered it, but he had always thought that it would be the very last thing that Kuroko would do. He just wasn't that type of person. Or so he thought.

_Did I really know Kurokocchi so little? Was his love for me a lie? I was so sure it was real, but could he have been faking it for me? What if he never actually love me? What if our feelings were never mutual?_

"How long?" Kise whispered. "How long had you been cheating on me?"

"What are you talking about?" Kuroko asked. His eyebrows were furrowed in confusion.

"I may not be as smart as Akashicchi or Midorimacchi, but I can do the math. Five years and ten months ago was about the time when you left me. Did you leave me because the girl you were cheating on me with got pregnant?" Kise forced a smile but it only looked pained and broken. "Had I been fooled into thinking that you loved me?"

"No!" Kuroko shouted. When he realized how loud his outburst was, he backed down. "That's not it at all. I never cheated on you. I never even considered it. Even after I left you I was never interested in finding someone else."

"That's clearly a lie! I saw the evidence with my own eyes!" Kise exclaimed.

"No, it's not what you think." Kuroko shook his head.

"Then tell me the truth. Please," Kise begged.

Kuroko averted his eyes and bit his lip. "You're going to be disgusted with me."

"I won't!" Kise blurted a bit too loudly.

Kuroko smiled weakly, unconvinced. "Akari… She's our child."

Kise stared dumbly at Kuroko, then laughed. "Kurokocchi, you've picked one hell of a time to start telling jokes."

"It isn't a joke, Kise-kun; I'm serious," Kuroko said, face straight. "I… I left when I found out that I was pregnant. It turns out that I actually have female sex organs inside of me… I had no idea until then."

"Wha-" Kise started, but Kuroko held up a hand.

"Please let me explain thoroughly before you ask any more questions." Kuroko waited for Kise to close his mouth and settle back. "When I found out, I decided that my only option was to run away. I couldn't stand to kill your baby and I couldn't face you. I was so afraid of how you would react if you found out. I wouldn't be able to take it if you looked at me with disgust or said that you hate me. Even as I'm telling you now, I'm so afraid."

Kuroko's eyes were locked on the enormous tree that stood in the center of the park. It was clear that he was avoiding looking at Kise. He took a deep breath and continued, "I ran to Akashi-kun for help. As expected, he understood the situation immediately, even without me saying anything. I stayed at his house while he helped me 'disappear' and took care of me through my pregnancy and first year after Akari's birth. He even paid for all of the medical bills and refused to let me pay them back. I can't imagine how high they are, considering male pregnancies aren't exactly common and he got the best doctor for it.

"I still see Akashi-kun with Akari at least once a month; usually more since he babysits Akari whenever something comes up and I can't watch her. Surprisingly, he took a great liking to Akari and he actually dotes on her a lot." Kuroko chuckled. "He helped me come up with her name, actually. I wanted her name to be related to you so she would have a piece of you with her. That's why her name is 'Akari'; you're like a light, especially compared to me, and I wanted your light to become a part of her."

"That's about all there is to tell. You may not believe me, but that's the truth." A single tear leaked from his eyes and several followed after. Kuroko crumbled inwards and wiped his tears with futility.

"Kurokocchi…" Kise felt his eyes begin to water as well.

"I'm sorry that I'm like this, Kise-kun. I'm so sorry," Kuroko said in a cracked voice. "It's okay if you never see me again. Just please don't say that you hate me. You can think it, but please don't say it."

Kise wrapped his arms around Kuroko's frail body. Sobs shook the smaller man's entire body and it only made Kise hug him tighter. "I don't hate you, Kurokocchi. I could never hate you, no matter the reason. I'm not disgusted at all. On the contrary, it makes me so happy. I actually always wanted to have a family with Kurokocchi, but I knew that since we were both guys, we couldn't have our own kids. I wanted more than anything to see a child that was made purely by us. It was the only thing that could make me happier than being with you forever. And now you're telling me that it's actually possible, that it actually _happened_. How could I be anything _but _happy?"

"You're lying…" Kuroko accused, shaking his head.

"I've never lied to you and I don't plan on ever doing it." Kise pulled back and took Kuroko's face in his hands so he would be forced to make eye contact. "Kurokocchi, there hasn't been a day where I have loved you any less. Do you still love me too? If you do, I want for us to get back together and become a family with Akari."

"Yes. Yes, I do." Kuroko nodded, smiling through the tears. "And I would love that."

Kise brought Kuroko's face to his and kissed him again and again. He peppered his face with kisses and licked up Kuroko's tears. Then, he pressed his forehead to Kuroko's and they cried while laughing until their tears stopped. Neither could remember the last time they had been so happy.

* * *

**-EDIT- So, I ended up going back and adding another 600+ words after reading it over again. It's still pretty rushed, but I hope it sounds a bit better now. -END EDIT-  
**

**I will most likely continue this since I love writing Akari's relationship with everyone. I don't know when I'll write it, though, so for now I'll call this complete.**

**I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! If you have any requests for what kind of family events you'd like to see with Kuroko, Akari, Kise, and/or Akashi, please let me know in the reviews and I'll consider it!**


End file.
